| 2001 Oakland Athletics | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American League Wild Card winners | ||||
| League | American League | |||
| Division | West | |||
| Ballpark | Network Associates Coliseum | |||
| City | Oakland, California | |||
| Record | 102–60 (.630) | |||
| Divisional place | 2nd | |||
| Owners | Stephen Schott &Kenneth Hofmann | |||
| General managers | Billy Beane | |||
| Managers | Art Howe | |||
| Television | KICU-TV FSN Bay Area (Ray Fosse,Greg Papa) | |||
| Radio | KABL (Bill King,Ken Korach,Ray Fosse) | |||
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TheOakland Athletics' 2001 season was the team's 34th inOakland,California, and the 101st season in franchise history. The team finished second in theAmerican League West with a record of 102–60.
The Athletics entered the 2001 season with high expectations. Much of the excitement stemmed from the team's trio of promising young starting pitchers (Barry Zito,Mark Mulder, andTim Hudson); after a strong showing in 2000, many expected the Athletics' rotation to rank among the American League's best in 2001. The trade of additional starterCory Lidle during the 2000-01 offseason helped solidify the rotation's back-end. On offense, the Athletics were loaded; sluggersMiguel Tejada,Eric Chavez, and reigning American League MVPJason Giambi comprised the core of a powerful Oakland attack. The addition ofJohnny Damon, acquired in a three-way trade forBen Grieve, promised to add a new dimension to the Athletics' offense. A strong bullpen (led byChad Bradford,Jim Mecir, andJason Isringhausen) rounded out Oakland's roster.
These high expectations quickly evaporated. The Athletics stumbled out of the gate (winning just two of their first dozen games); while their play nominally improved over the first half of the season, they failed to build upon the momentum of their division-winning 2000 campaign. The rivalSeattle Mariners, in stark contrast, raced to a historic 52–14 start. As expected, the offense performed well; Oakland was instead hamstrung by unexpectedly terrible starting pitching. At the season's midpoint, the A's boasted a sub-.500 record (39–42); they trailed the division-leading Mariners by some 21 games.
The Athletics responded with arguably the most dominant second half in modern MLB history. Over their final 81 regular season games, the A's went 63-18 (a record since the league switched to a 162-game schedule); this included 29 wins in their final 33 games. The Athletics' maligned rotation returned to form; over their final games, Zito, Mulder, Hudson, and Lidle went a combined 48-10. On July 25, the Athletics acquired sluggerJermaine Dye from theKansas City Royals for prospects; this move further energized the already-surging squad. The Athletics ultimately weren't able to catch up with Seattle (which won an AL-record 116 games), but their remarkable run allowed them to clinch the AL's Wild Card. The Athletics' 102 wins were at the time the most by a Wild Card clincher in MLB history.
The Athletics faced theNew York Yankees (the three-time defending World Series champions) in theALDS. Oakland took the first two games, but unraveled after a heartbreaking 1–0 loss in Game 3, in whichJeremy Giambi was infamously thrown out at the plate after a relay throw was flipped byDerek Jeter toJorge Posada; they would lose the series to the Yankees in five games. At the end of the season, Oakland would lose Giambi, Damon, and Isringhausen to free agency; this would set the stage for the events portrayed inMichael Lewis' bestselling bookMoneyball (and thefilm of the same name).
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Mariners | 116 | 46 | .716 | — | 57–24 | 59–22 |
| Oakland Athletics | 102 | 60 | .630 | 14 | 53–28 | 49–32 |
| Anaheim Angels | 75 | 87 | .463 | 41 | 39–42 | 36–45 |
| Texas Rangers | 73 | 89 | .451 | 43 | 41–41 | 32–48 |
| Team | ANA | BAL | BOS | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TB | TEX | TOR | NL | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaheim | — | 4–5 | 4–3 | 6–3 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 3–6 | 4–3 | 6–14 | 4–15 | 7–2 | 7–12 | 5–4 | 10–8 | ||
| Baltimore | 5–4 | — | 9–10 | 3–4 | 1–5 | 4–2 | 5–2 | 3–3 | 5–13–1 | 2–7 | 1–8 | 10–9 | 2–7 | 7–12 | 6–12 | ||
| Boston | 3–4 | 10–9 | — | 3–3 | 3–6 | 4–5 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 5–13 | 4–5 | 3–6 | 14–5 | 5–2 | 12–7 | 10–8 | ||
| Chicago | 3–6 | 4–3 | 3–3 | — | 10–9 | 13–6 | 14–5 | 5–14 | 1–5 | 1–8 | 2–7 | 5–2 | 7–2 | 3–3 | 12–6 | ||
| Cleveland | 4–5 | 5–1 | 6–3 | 9–10 | — | 13–6 | 11–8 | 14–5 | 4–5 | 4–3 | 2–5 | 5–1 | 5–4 | 2–4 | 7–11 | ||
| Detroit | 4–5 | 2–4 | 5–4 | 6–13 | 6–13 | — | 8–11 | 4–15 | 4–5 | 1–6 | 2–5 | 4–2 | 8–1 | 2–4 | 10–8 | ||
| Kansas City | 4–5 | 2–5 | 3–3 | 5–14 | 8–11 | 11–8 | — | 6–13 | 0–6 | 3–6 | 3–6 | 4–2 | 4–5 | 4–3 | 8–10 | ||
| Minnesota | 6–3 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 14–5 | 5–14 | 15–4 | 13–6 | — | 4–2 | 5–4 | 1–8 | 1–6 | 4–5 | 2–5 | 9–9 | ||
| New York | 3–4 | 13–5–1 | 13–5 | 5–1 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 6–0 | 2–4 | — | 3–6 | 3–6 | 13–6 | 3–4 | 11–8 | 10–8 | ||
| Oakland | 14–6 | 7–2 | 5–4 | 8–1 | 3–4 | 6–1 | 6–3 | 4–5 | 6–3 | — | 9–10 | 7–2 | 9–10 | 6–3 | 12–6 | ||
| Seattle | 15–4 | 8–1 | 6–3 | 7–2 | 5–2 | 5–2 | 6–3 | 8–1 | 6–3 | 10–9 | — | 7–2 | 15–5 | 6–3 | 12–6 | ||
| Tampa Bay | 2–7 | 9–10 | 5–14 | 2–5 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 6–1 | 6–13 | 2–7 | 2–7 | — | 4–5 | 9–10 | 10–8 | ||
| Texas | 12–7 | 7–2 | 2–5 | 2–7 | 4–5 | 1–8 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 4–3 | 10–9 | 5–15 | 5–4 | — | 3–6 | 8–10 | ||
| Toronto | 4–5 | 12–7 | 7–12 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 3–4 | 5–2 | 8–11 | 3–6 | 3–6 | 10–9 | 6–3 | — | 8–10 | ||
| 2001 Oakland Athletics | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders | Outfielders
Other batters | Manager
Coaches
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The A's lost 3-2 to the New York Yankees in the2001 American League Division Series.
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Ramón Hernández | 156 | 453 | 115 | .254 | 15 | 60 |
| 1B | Jason Giambi | 154 | 520 | 178 | .342 | 38 | 120 |
| 2B | Frank Menechino | 139 | 471 | 114 | .242 | 12 | 60 |
| SS | Miguel Tejada | 162 | 622 | 166 | .267 | 31 | 113 |
| 3B | Eric Chavez | 151 | 552 | 159 | .288 | 32 | 114 |
| LF | Terrence Long | 162 | 629 | 178 | .283 | 12 | 85 |
| CF | Johnny Damon | 155 | 644 | 165 | .256 | 9 | 49 |
| RF | Jermaine Dye | 61 | 232 | 69 | .297 | 13 | 59 |
| DH | Jeremy Giambi | 124 | 371 | 105 | .283 | 12 | 57 |
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olmedo Sáenz | 106 | 305 | 67 | .220 | 9 | 32 |
| Adam Piatt | 36 | 95 | 20 | .211 | 0 | 6 |
| Greg Myers | 33 | 87 | 16 | .184 | 7 | 13 |
| Ron Gant | 34 | 81 | 21 | .259 | 2 | 13 |
| Mark Bellhorn | 38 | 74 | 10 | .135 | 1 | 4 |
| F.P. Santangelo | 32 | 71 | 14 | .197 | 0 | 8 |
| Billy McMillon | 20 | 58 | 17 | .293 | 0 | 10 |
| Mario Valdez | 32 | 54 | 15 | .278 | 1 | 8 |
| Robin Jennings | 20 | 52 | 13 | .250 | 0 | 4 |
| John Jaha | 12 | 45 | 4 | .089 | 0 | 8 |
| José Ortiz | 11 | 42 | 7 | .167 | 0 | 3 |
| Eric Byrnes | 19 | 38 | 9 | .237 | 3 | 5 |
| Tom Wilson | 9 | 21 | 4 | .190 | 2 | 4 |
| Sal Fasano | 11 | 21 | 1 | .048 | 0 | 0 |
| Rob Ryan | 7 | 7 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Ryan Christenson | 7 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Andy Abad | 1 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Note: G = Games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Hudson | 35 | 235.0 | 18 | 9 | 3.37 | 181 |
| Mark Mulder | 34 | 229.1 | 21 | 8 | 3.45 | 153 |
| Barry Zito | 35 | 214.1 | 17 | 8 | 3.49 | 205 |
| Cory Lidle | 29 | 188.0 | 13 | 6 | 3.59 | 118 |
| Gil Heredia | 24 | 109.2 | 7 | 8 | 5.58 | 48 |
| Erik Hiljus | 16 | 66.0 | 5 | 0 | 3.41 | 67 |
Note: G = Games; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Isringhausen | 65 | 4 | 3 | 34 | 2.65 | 74 |
| Jeff Tam | 70 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3.01 | 44 |
| Mike Magnante | 65 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2.77 | 23 |
| Jim Mecir | 54 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 3.43 | 61 |
| Mark Guthrie | 54 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 4.47 | 52 |
| Luis Vizcaíno | 36 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4.66 | 31 |
| Chad Bradford | 35 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2.70 | 34 |
| T.J. Mathews | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5.09 | 19 |
| Mike Fyhrie | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 5 |
| Chad Harville | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: AZL Athletics